Shellac Problem

In these two pictures you can see the problem with the existing finish

Cracking

Dirty and spotty.

I verified that the finish was Shellac by putting a few drops of denatured alcohol (available at Home Depot and Lowes) on an inconspicuous spot, waiting a few minutes, and then verifing that the finish was sticky.  It turns out that denatured alcohol desolves Shellac.

My plan now is to remove all of the old Shellac  using denatured alcohol, 0000 steel wool, and and a few rags....Again, am not a professional restorer, so I might make some serious mistakes.  

I soak a rag with the alcohol and wipe down the old Shellac.  Then I soak the steel wool in more alcohol and start rubbing in a circular motion.  As I do this I use a clean rag to remove the loosened Shellac.  I continue this process until the Shellac is removed.

Another trip to Home Depot....

Legs after Shellac is removed.

I removed the old Shellac from all areas except inside the lid.  The finish there is not nearly as bad and I have the Edison decal to deal with.....

Cleaning the Wood

I bought some Kotton Kleener online.  Other than the inside of the lid, I brushed it on all of the finished wood surfaces, avoiding the paper labels.  After about 10 minutes I used some clean rags to wipe it off.  A lot of brown colored buildup came off.  The reason I did not clean the inside of the lid is that it looked pretty clean and I did not want to risk damag eot the Edison decal.

After the cleaning I was not happy with the results.  I still had a bad looking finish...I have a shellac problem......... 

Taking It All Apart

Most of my joints were loose and all held together with hide glue.  Using vinegar I tried to loosen up the existing glue by getting it into the joints for 10-15 minutes.  Then I used A rubber mallet to pop the joints apart. They came apart very easily.

The bottom shelf fell off....

after I removed these screws from the underside.  I am not sure these are original.

Dowel installed in each cover off bottom shelf

Left side panel removed

I took alot of pictures so I would know how it goes back together

I even removed two of the legs

I finished by removing all the metal

parts.

The entire disassembly took about 3 hours.

Removing the Motor, Part 2

Things didn't go as planned.

The repair manual says to loosen the 2 square head screws and the 1 flat head screw pictured below.  Then while holding the collar held by the flat head screw, use your other hand to pull up on the control handle to remove it.  This should release the horn from the motor.

It would not budge, no matter what I tried.  I am not sure if different models have different repair manuals or if I was not pulling hard enough, but I could not remove the handle.

I needed to change my plans and remove the entire motor and horn assembly still connected.

The plan is to remove the lid so it does not get damaged when I remove the motor/horn assembly.  With someone else holding the lid from dropping, First remove the device that holds the lid open.

Next I remove the 2 hinges holding the lid, and set aside.  I have a mix of flat head and phillip head screws holding my lid on.  I suspect that is not the original design; I will research the correct screws when I put things back together.

And now lifting up and out......

Mission Accomplished.

Removing the Motor

Here we go, I found a online version of the "Mechanical Service and Repairs New Edison Disc Motor" which has an entire section on remoal of the motor.

Remove the crank, turning counter-clockwise until it comes loose.  Pictured is my temporary fix.  Next turn on the turntable until it stops to fully unwind the spring.

 

Remove the reproducer

and the turntable.

Next I removed the control handle for the mute ball.  It is held by 2 screws on the botton of the metal plate.

Screw 1

Screw 2

Screw 3

Remove the 3 screws and nuts.  I used a wider blade screwdriver. 

Muting Ball Keeps Falling Off

After greasing the gears I was playing some discs when a reoccurring problem happened;  while adjusting my volume, the mute ball fell off and the cable pulled up into the spring sleeving.  

To fix the problem I went to Home Depot and bought a 1/16" ferrule.  THE FERRULE NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED WITH THE CABLE IN THE PLAYER, in the approximate location shown.  Once on the cable it needs to be squeezed tight with a pliers or clamp.

 Ferrule installed behind mute ball.

Note that this repair is not the original design.  With the ferrule installed, if you need to remove the motor, you will need to unscrew the mute ball's operating lever from the underside of the motor plate.

Grease all the Gears

Based on what I have read, Lithium grease is what will sustitute for Edison Grease.  I bought some at the local autoparts store.

Next I removed the turntable and  sparingly applied the white grease to the gear teeth and worm gears with a toothpick.

Gear at motor (see white grease)

Gear and vertical worm gear under spindle

Gear and horizontal worm gear off of governor

Gear between motor and crank

Gear that tracks reproduction

At a later time I will fully disassemble and clean the old grit from the gears.  They looked pretty good already.  My bigger issue is the condition of my wooden case.

Next I ran the gears and cranked the spring to get the grease to coat the surfaces and mating gears.

Next step oil everything.....but wait, as I move the A100 player, I notice it is seperating at some of the joints, so I think it is time to dive in and repair the wood........